Twisted Sister

Twisted Sister bio, timeline, discography, pics & more

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Twisted Sister photo 2006

Twisted Sister Biography

When they were first formed in Manhattan, New York USA, in 1973 by guitarist
Jay Jay French, Twisted Sister were unabashed Glam-rockers, filtering
the sound of New York Dolls through
Alice Cooper's theatrical shock-Rock;
the band, which also included lead singer Michael Valentine, guitarist
Billy Diamond, bassist Kenneth Harrison and drummer Mell Starr worked
the New York-area club scene for more than a decade developing a large
following in the process. The band's line-up continued to fluctuate throughout
the early years, Eddie Ojeda replaced Diamond in 1974, but it was only
with the arrival of Dee Snider, in early 1976 that the band found its
true leader, that year also Tony Petri stepped in behind the drum kit
and two years later bass player Mark Mendoza joined Twisted Sister replacing
Harrison.

In 1979 the quintet released its first single, "I'll Never Grow
Up, Now!" on the band's own TSR label. By the early '80s, no major
record label would sign the band in the States; with new drummer A.J.
Pero, Twisted Sister then moved over to the U.K. where they recorded their
debut album, "Under The Blade", issued in 1982 on the independent
Secret Records, it became an underground sensation attracting the attention
of Atlantic.

Twisted Sister were finally rewarded with a major record label contract
and in 1983 "You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll" was released, the
album followed the same raw Heavy-Metal direction of their debut hitting
#130 on The Billboard 200 chart and producing a U.K. top 20 hit in "I
Am (I'm Me)".

In 1984, with their follow-up, "Stay Hungry", the band exploded
onto the Billboard charts with three Mainstream Rock top 40 smashes: "The
Price", "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It",
the latter of which also peaked at #21 on the Hot 100 and helped push
the album to #15 on The Billboard Top 200 chart with more than 2 million
copies sold.

Although the band's fourth album, "Come Out And Play", was
certified gold shortly after its release, it only reached #53 in U.S.
producing a minor Mainstream Rock hit single in "Leader Of The Pack".

For their next LP, "Love Is For Suckers", issued in 1987, the
band attempted returning to more straight-ahead, Hard-Rock-based songwriting;
Pero left the band prior to the album, he was replaced by session drummer
Joey Franco and "Love Is For Suckers" reached a modest #73 on
The Billboard 200 chart, it soon slid from sight generating another minor
Mainstream Rock hit, "Hot Love"; Twisted Sister decided to call
it a day shortly after the album's release.

The band's classic line-up reformed in November 2001 to perform in New
York at a September 11 benefit; but Twisted Sister has no plans to tour
extensively.

October 2006 saw the release of "Twisted Christmas", a 10-track
holiday album which included the single "Oh Come All Ye Faithful",
it sounds so much like a reimagining of "We're Not Gonna Take It".

In June 2009, Rhino Records released the 25th Anniversary Edition of
"Stay Hungry" the album that put the New York veterans on the
map; the set included a re-mastered version of the original album, as
well as a bonus disc with 16 previously unissued songs, one newly recorded
cut: "30", the band's first new song in 11 years and a hidden
track entitled "Lollipop Guild".